One month, 162 stolen vehicles recovered

RCMP released this photo after the arrest of five suspects in late October.

In one month, Surrey RCMP recovered 162 stolen vehicles as part of its Project Hot Wheels initiative.

Spearheaded by the Auto Crime Target Team with assistance from several another units, Project Hot Wheels – intended to make a dent in auto theft crime – took place from Sept. 28 to Oct. 29.

In addition to recovering the stolen vehicles, police made 16 arrests and laid 59 charges.

One young offender had more than 150 past interactions with police and was wanted on a Canada-wide warrant. Another was found in possession of a sizeable amount of her ion and methamphetamine. And two others arrested in a stolen vehicle were on their way to committing an armed robbery.

Officers involved also helped with investigations spanning multiple jurisdictions, including executing a search warrant at a known chop shop, arresting a prison escapee and the arrest of five people for crimes spanning the Lower Mainland to Manning Park.

“Crime analysis and intelligence-led policing were the foundations of Project Hot Wheels as we targeted a number of Surrey’s priority target offenders responsible for a large amount of auto crime,” said Sgt. Paul Hayes. “The project succeeded in reducing the prevalence of additional crimes caused by auto crime thanks to its collaborative and multi-jurisdictional approach.”

If you see a theft of auto or theft from auto in progress, please call 911. If you have information about these or any other crimes, please contact the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502 or Crime Stoppers, if you wish to remain anonymous, at 1-800-222-TIPS or www.solvecrime.ca